Brendan Fraser signs on for The Mummy 3

Rick O'Connell will return

Given that it’s the franchise that helped give his career a huge boost, it’s not really surprising that Brendan Fraser has agreed to return for the third Mummy outing. Well, that and the shed load of money that Universal offered him to come back.

But you might also forgive him for leaving the crazed CG madness of the Mummy movies behind now that he’s got the likes of Crash under his belt. Which is exactly what Oscar winner Rachel Weisz has done, opting to scrape her chair away from the negotiating table and stick to less blockbuster acting jobs.

And who can blame Weisz? Especially as Stephen Sommers has been replaced behind the camera by Rob “I made Stealth, you know” Cohen, while the script, by Spider-Man 2 contributors Miles Millar and Alfred Gough worryingly needs another polish before the studio bigwigs will flash the greenlight.

Still, we’re promised a Chinese setting and Jet Li as the villain this time around, and with Fraser’s easy charm anchoring the movie, it should at least be fun in places. If all goes well, The Mummy 3 will arrive in cinemas next year.